Thomas e



(No Model.)

T. "R. LOWERRE. BOTTLE Q ORKING MAGH INE.

No. 297,943. Patented Apr. 29, 1-884.

N. PETiRS. Phnwumo hnr. Walhl 2 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS R. LOWERRE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

BOTTL E-CORKJNG MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 297,943, dated April29, 1884.

I Application filed October 4, 1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS B. Lownnnn, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of New York, inthe county and State of New York, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Bottle- Gorking Machines, ofwhich the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide'an improved bottle-corkingmachine, by which,

in addition to the ordinary operation of pushing the cork intotheneck ofthe bottle, the cork, previous to insertion, will be slit, and a shortpiece-of cord or wire will be automatically inserted in the slit thusmade and left therein for use as a means of afterward extracting thecork without the aid of a cork-screw.

The machine is especially designed for the practical application of theprinciple of construction described in my patent for improvement inbottle-corks, dated January 3,1882, and numbered 251,908.

The invention will be hereinafter fully described with reference to theaccompanying. drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of amachine constructed according .to my present invention. Fig. 2 is a rearelevation of the same, or as seen in the direction of arrow I'in Fig. 1.Fig. 3 is a front view, showing the general appearanceof the machine,mounted upon a working-table, and connected to a treadle for operatingit. Fig. 4 is a view explanatory of the manner in which the cork andcord are held, and the relative positions of parts when the plunger hasdescended to the cork. Fig. 5 is a detail side view of the device inwhich the cork is held. Fig. 6 is a cross-section of thesame, taken onthe line a: a: of Fig. 5. Figs. 7 and 8 are a side view and an end view,respectively, of the cork-slitting knife.

A is the frame of the machine, and may be made of wood and strengthenedby braces, as in Figs. 1 and 2; or it may be cast or otherwise formed inone piece, as shown in Fig. 3, the latter construction being the onewhich I prefer. The frame A isprovided with an upper and a lower head,or horizontal projections at and a, to which are fastened, at oppositesides, vertical guide-bars a between which is fitted to slide the blockB, to which the plunger 12 is attached. The lower end of the plunger isdetachable, having for this purpose a shank entering a socket and held'by a setscrew, b, so that it may be removed and replaced with one ofdifferent size, according to the size of the cork and hole in thebottle.

To'the block B, directly between the guides of, is secured adownward-projecting rod, 1), whose lower end is so connected with atreadle that, by depressing the latter, the plunger b will descend, forthe purpose of pushing the cork into the bottle-neck. When the pressureis removed from the treadle, the block and plunger are caused to rise bythe pressure of a spiral spring, I), surrounding the bar b andinterposed between a stationary portion of the frame A and the block B.

O is a lever or bar which carries the knife and cord-spool. Thelever Ois pivoted to the head A, directly above, and in the center llne withthe plunger, and has a short arm, 0,, by which, and a connecting-rod c,it is connected to the block B. Oppositely to the arm 0 the lever O isbent downward, and has at its lower end an arm, 0', projecting in thesame direction, and about parallel with the arm 0. The knife Dis'adjustably attached, by means. of slots d and'screws d, to the end ofthe bar a, and is so located, as seen in the drawlngs, that when theplunger descends, and by the downward pull on the rod 0 and arm 0,caused thereby, the lever O is oscillated upon its fulcrum c, theinclined and sharp edge of the knife will pass through and across, andthus slit the lower end of the cork.

E is a spool upon which the cord or wire is wound. The spool E ispivoted between brackets e, secured to the bar 0. The cord 0 passes fromthe spool E, underneath the arm a, and through the hole 0*, in the endof the said arm, beneath the knife. It thence passes up through a hole,(1*, in the knife itself, the knife ,being curved in rear of thecutting-incline, so that the highest point (1 of the cutting-edge is ata higher elevation than the upper end of the hole d through which thecord passes. By this construction of the knife it is evident that inpassing through the cork a clear space the knife,while the cord issimultaneously entered and the slit closes upon the cord when the knifehas completely passed through. As

is cut for the cord, the slit being kept open by the plunger keepsdescending, the lever C is I knife.

swung off enough to allow the knife D to pass clearly through and beyonda pair of shears consisting of a stationary jaw, F, a movable jaw, F,pivoted at f to the stationary jaw, and an adjustable connecting-rod, f,the latter being pivoted with one end in a slot to the rear end of thejaw F and with its other end to a bar, G, secured to the back of thesliding block B, by the downward movement of which the shears areoperated. As the plunger still further descends, the cord 0 is firstclipped off by the said shears, and then the cork is pressed through itsholder and into the neck of the bottle, leaving the ends of the cordprojecting above the bottle, so that they may be tied in a lip, forconvenience in afterward extracting the cork. The stationary jaw F ofthe shears is fastened to, or preferably formed in, one piece with andat right angles with the slotted bar G, by screws or bolts to the frameA, or to the lower end of the guides to", the bars G and G being bothslotted and fastened in a similar manner.

The object of slotting the bars G G is to allow of sliding them so as toadjust the distance of the shears from the center of the plunger, andthereby the length of the piece of cord to be cut off, the opposite endof the said piece being held by the hand, as in Fig. 4. It will benoticed that by not cutting the cord until the knife D has passed adistance beyond the shears, a portion of the cord always is leftprojecting from the knife, as in Fig. l, and readily accessible to begrasped by the fingers.

H is a holder, in which the corks are successively inserted to beoperated upon. The holder consists simply of a plate, h, having holes h,for securing it to the machine, and a lug, h", with a hole in which thecork is inserted.

In order to prevent the lower end of the cork, which projects beyond thelug h", from being broken off or bent by the passing knife, the said lugI1 is provided on the side toward which the knife passes with a forwardprojecting stop, h, against which the side of the cork bears while theknife cuts, a slot, h, being made through the said stop h, so as not toimpede the free movement of the knife, which, on leaving the cork,passes out through the said slot. The hole d, at the rear of thecutting-edge, may be made in a separate loop or tube, or any othercontrivance adapted to receive the cord, and to hold it in the properposition relative to the By the vertical slots (1 and the fasteningdevice d the knife can be raised or lowered, as the case may require, soas to cut the cork to the proper depth.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1. In a bottle-corking machine, the combination, withthe ordinary plunger b, of a knife provided with a cord or wire, andarranged to slit the lower end of the cork and leave a portion of thecord therein just before the cork is driven into the bottle,substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. Ina bottle'corking machine, the combination, with the descendingplunger b, of the knife D, having an inclined cutting-edge, and a hole,(1, in rear of and a little below the highest point of the cutting-edge,said knife being arranged to move transversely to the motion of the saidplunger, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In abottle-corking machine, the combination, with a descendingplunger, 1), and the cord-carrying knife D, moving transversely to thesaid plunger, of the shears F F, having its movable jaw F connected toreceive its motion from the movement of the sliding block B and plunger,substantially as specified.

A. In a bottle-corking machine, the combination of the plunger-carryingsliding block B, the lever-G, oscillated by the movement of the saidblock, and provided with a cord-spool, E, and having upon its lower arm,0, the cordcarrying cutting-knife D, moving by the oscillation of thelever O transversely to the plunger, substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

5. In combination with the plungerb and the knife D, moving transverselyto the plunger, the cork-holder H, provided with the perforated lug hand slotted stop h", substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. In combination with a plunger-block, B, and with the cord-carryingknife D, moving transversely to the said block, the shears F F,adjustable link f and the slotted bars G G, for adjusting the length ofthe cord, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed myname, in presence of two witnesses, this 2d day of October, 1883.

THOMAS LOVVERRE.

\Vitnesses:

ROBERT W. Marrrrnws, A. W. ALMovrsr.

